After losing Nelson Agholor to the Patriots in free agency, the Raiders depth chart at wide receiver is a little uncertain heading into the preseason.
Former Bills receiver John Brown was added to help fill Agholor’s void, but there is no question the Raiders are hoping a pair of second-year receivers will grow into a much bigger role this year. Everyone knows about the speed of Henry Ruggs and his first-round draft profile only raises the expectations for Ruggs in his second year
But the young pass-catcher to watch this year is Bryan Edwards.
The Raiders had a first-round grade on Edwards entering the 2020 draft, but an injury caused him to fall to the third round. Edwards battled more injuries as a rookie, but if he can stay healthy this year there’s a good chance Edwards will be the Raider receiver dominating the box scores.
Former Raiders and Packers wide receiver James Jones still has a close relationship with Derek Carr and Jones raved this week on what Carr is telling him about Edwards.
“There was a couple players that jumped out to me,” Jones said on NFL Network. “No.1 is Bryan Edwards, number 89. He’s coming into his second year and you hear all the comparisons to [Terrell Owens].”
Jones added that Derek Carr told him that “there’s nobody on the team besides Darren Wallen, the big tight end, that he trusts more.”
Edwards had only 11 receptions last year, but his playmaking ability showed flashes in limited opportunities. His 17.5 yards per reception was right there with Henry Ruggs (17.4) and Edwards is a much more physical presence than Ruggs. It’s no secret that Carr has always favored more physical receivers over his college and pro careers (Davante Adams, James Jones, Michael Crabtree, Darren Waller), and Edwards will have every chance this year to be the next superstar on the list.
Edwards is the fourth-highest paid receiver on the Raiders’ roster, but expectations in the Raiders’ building are higher for him than any other wideout on the team. If he can stay healthy, consider Edwards a solid candidate to post 60 receptions, 1,000 receiving yards, and 8-10 touchdowns.
twitter: @raidersbeat
Get rid of Mr. Dump off No. 4 and Mariota can buy the time to utilize the receivers. No. 4 will always hold this team back.
Cmon man, Mr. dump off? Clearly you don’t watch the games. Last year was just a glimpse of the true potential of Derek and this offense. You and everyone else who says stuff like this, and just pumps out sludge of falsehood should just stop being a fan, it’s disrespectful to say things that are untrue. He is the all time leading passer in Raiders history and we have had horrible teams. We finally have some weapons and guys like you want to replace him when he is stepping into his prime, it’s embarrassing that we have fans like you, no wonder we get made fun of. When DC holds up the Lombardi for the Silver and Black, you just ruined it for yourself cause you spoke lies and proved you have no heart, even though Derek will forgive you. Go root for mahomes if it’s more fun for you.
Obviously you don’t watch football because if the Raiders defense show up and show out they would definitely make the playoffs DC is not the one holding them back get your facts right bra cuz you don’t know what you talkin about I’m so tired of u Carr haters its sicken and like I said just give him a defense and watch what happen